Very Long Hiatus

In the event anyone still stops by to read this, and wonders where I've gone, I thought I should take a minute to explain the really long hiatus.  The ferrets I was looking after for a friend in mid-2011 ended up staying much longer than the originally planned "few days".  By the time they returned home, kitten season was nearly over, and it was nearing the time of year I go on vacation.  Plus, I had family coming to visit soon, then Christmas to get ready for, etc. Then, last year started off with me needing surgery, and by the time all that was over, I decided it might be a good idea to take an extended break from fostering.  It's something I had been thinking about doing anyway, not only so I could get back to traveling more often, but also for the benefit of my super-shy, resident cat, Pablo who became noticeably more relaxed once I stopped bringing all those "strangers" into his home.  So, I have opted for the time being to volunteer in other ways, and let Pablo have the house (and me) all to himself as he prefers. It is very likely I will foster again at some point, though, especially if I can find a situation that lets me focus mainly on bottle babies, which don't seem to stress him out like the ones old enough to wrestle around and make "thud" noises do.  When that day comes, the Pint-Size Gazette will live again.

Something Different

I have new four-legged house guests, but they're not kittens and they're not fosters. Jakobo (white) and Bonnie (brown) are two super-cute ferrets that belong to a friend here in Las Vegas.  I'm taking care of them for a few days while their family is out of town.

Even though this blog is normally about foster kittens who will soon be available for adoption, I decided to make a post about the ferrets because my time with them so far (all two days of it) has been rather educational.  First off, they are far more sociable than I expected.  In some ways, they're like really long kittens with short stubby legs!  Both of them will crawl up into my lap and enjoy being petted.  They aren't even a little bit shy, not even when they first got here. They also play with the feather teasers.

Second, I don't know if these two are typical of all ferrets (my quick Google search says "yes"), but they are definitely not consistent users of their litterbox. They've pretty much been going wherever they please since they got here.  A couple of times they've actually done their business in the box, but they seem to prefer going straight on the floor in a corner or, worse, right in front of the door!  This morning, I finally gave up on trying to get them going in the box and just put down pads all over the room for them to go on.  So far, they've been good about at least using those. (I put them in the places they had been going on the floor). I'm told they're really good about using their litterbox at home, though, so it may just be all the past "accidents" from the various foster kittens I've had in that room the past two years that's inspiring them to go outside the box.  Hopefully they're not picking up bad habits at my house that they're going to continue when they get back home.

In any case, despite the mess they're making of my foster room, I'm glad I took them in.  It's a nice chance to learn about a different type of pet I wasn't all that familiar with.  Plus, as I mentioned, they're really cute.

Socks Update

Here is Socks, all grown up.  I shot this on June 27th while visiting at my sister's.

Belated Followup

Jack, Patches, and Cody ended up staying a few extra days with me.  They were so close to being ready for their spay/neuter surgeries after their second set of shots on June 18th that the shelter requested I keep them until June 23 and bring them in for surgery that day.  The following day, I traveled to Texas to visit family for a  couple of weeks, so I am just now getting around to posting this update. I tried to get a really good parting shot of all three kittens before they left, but the only one who cooperated in the limited amount of time I had to attempt it was Patches. 

The kittens became available for adoption a couple of days after their surgery.  I haven't had a chance to confirm yet, but I suspect they are likely settling into their new homes by now.

Outside the Box

Well, it's been a while I guess.  Jack, Patches, and Cody have certainly been an interesting trio. Their personalities are among the more unique of all the kittens I've fostered to date.  They're the first litter I've had so far that managed to figure out how to open the closet door.  That has become their new favorite place to play.  Fortunately, I managed to catch them before they figured out how much fun it would be to play in the big bag of food that was in there!  After a couple of futile attempts to block the door, I finally just gave in and removed anything I  didn't want them getting into, and let them have the closet to play in.  It came in handy yesterday when I was vacuuming their room.  They all went into the closet the minute they saw me coming with the Dyson.  I found them afterwards looking really cute in a box.

Jack continues to be the most adventurous one.  Every time he hears me coming, he greets me at the door, and he's always the first to hop in my lap.  He's clearly curious to know what's on the other side of the gate I have across the door to their room, and I keep expecting him to figure out he's now big enough to jump over it.  He's probably the most independent of the three too.  I gave each of the kittens some one-on-one time outside their room today, and he was the only one that didn't start crying for the other two at some point after they were through exploring.  

 Cody still cries when he's not getting sufficient attention--even when its his own fault, like when he's way on the other side of the room out of reach!  He's definitely the sweetheart of the bunch, though.  During his one-on-one time today, he kept coming back to the couch to be petted.  He was the only one of the three that did that.  The other two just wanted to explore.

Patches is going to be one of those cats who wants to be with you on her own terms.  She still runs away if I try to pick her up or even pet her.  However, if I sit down, she'll hop up into my lap and purr like mad while she's being cuddled.  She also likes to groom the person who's petting her.  She'll roll all around my lap licking my knees.  Occasionally she play nips, which of course, I've tried to discourage as much as possible. 

After a rough start, the kittens seem to have finally perfected their usage of the litterbox, but it took a while.  As I said in the previous entry, I'm pretty sure they had never seen one before, and clearly didn't have a clue what to do with it when they first arrived.  Even after they figured out what it was for, it was still a couple more weeks before they stopped stepping in the poop and wiping their feet on the walls (Ewww!).  We haven't had an incident of that as near as I can tell for nearly two weeks now, but I'll sure have my work cut out for me cleaning up the dried on mess they had already made before they finally got the hang of it.  (Ewww again!).

However, messiness aside, this litter has really been one of my easier ones.  They were (and still are) shy around strangers, but not overly-freakishly so, and it's rare that I end up with all three eagerly jumping into my lap.  Usually there's one holdout.  Also, these three have managed to avoid the respiratory infection that almost every other litter I've had has ended up with at one point. So what they cost me in cleaning time they've certainly made up for in not having to make "emergency" trips to the shelter for treatment! 

The kittens go back to their shelter on Saturday.  They'll get their second set of shots that day, their spay/neuter surgeries a few days after, and will probably be available for adoption within the next couple of weeks, most likely under their original shelter names, Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Meet Jack, Patches, and Cody

It's kitten season in Las Vegas again.  My first set of fosters this year have been settled in for almost two weeks now. I'm just now getting around to putting up a blog post for them.

Jack, Patches, and Cody were probably about six weeks old when I brought them home on May 16th. Jack is named for Jack Sparrow of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. With his little patch of black over one eye, my sister thought he looked like a pirate.  Cody is also named for a movie character--Cody Maverick from the animated film Surf's Up.  Patches got her name for her little calico "patches.

Jack, Patches, and Cody got off to a bit of a rough start with the litterbox when they first arrived.  It seems perhaps they had never seen one before and didn't know what to do with it!  The first couple of days, I woke up to three piles of poop and three puddles of pee, mostly on the carpet of course (Ewww!).  On the third day, though, Jack finally figured out what that big box of sand was for, and the others soon followed.  We've been accident-free for several days now. 

As is typical when I have a litter of three, there's usually one that's noticeably braver than the other two.  Jack is the brave one in this bunch. He's even reasonably brave around strangers, or at least he was today when I had people over to work on my house.  Maybe he just appreciated the solar screen being installed on the window to their room--it should be much cooler in there for them now!

Patches and Cody are more shy.  Patches in particular is still fearful of hands.  She'll walk right up to me like she's dying to be petted, but can't quite muster up the courage yet to avoid jumping out of the way when I reach for her.  However, when I can catch her off guard and pet her anyway, she really seems to enjoy it. Cody is a little hand-shy too still, however, he's also the most jealous of the three.  Once you stop petting him he'll make the most pathetic little cries to get your attention again!

The kittens should be due their first set of shots immediately after the three-day weekend.  Time is really flying by this time.

Annual Hiatus

It's that time of the year again--time for my annual hiatus from fostering. Kitten season starts around March, so I should have some new "babies" to look after in a couple of months. In the meantime, here is a picture of Socks at her home in Texas. This was taken a few days before Christmas while I was there visiting for the holidays. Socks continues to do well. She's spoiled rotten with plenty of attention from all three kids as well as her mom and dad.

Home for the Holildays?

It was sort of a good news/bad news kind of week for Simon and Sassafras. The vet clinic the shelter uses for spay/neuter surgeries was short-handed, so they weren't able to get their surgeries last week as planned. They will now have to get them next week, which also delays their being available for adoption to a permanent home. The good news was that they got to spend their last week at my house having fun instead of recovering from surgery.

Both of the kittens were doing well when I took them back on Thursday. Simon was well over four pounds, and Sassafras was right at four pounds, give or take an ounce or two in either direction (he wouldn't sit still on the scale). They spent a lot of their last week at my house playing with a laser light toy they both went bananas over.

Simon remains the most outgoing and playful, but they both warm up pretty quickly to new people and are adorably sweet. Despite the delay in their being available for adoption, I think there's still a good chance both of them will have a home before Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I write this, the kittens are enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of Purina. Sassafras is grateful to have his appetite back so he can enjoy his half of the can. Come to think of it, his foster mommy is grateful for that too. Now healthy, he has gained back all the weight he lost while he was sick, and is once again growing both in weight and size. He still weighs less than Simon, though, which is opposite of how it was when they first got here.

Simon continues to be his playful and mischievous self. He's very active and energetic, running circles around his more laid back brother. He likes to hop in my lap, but his attention span is something like two seconds, so he'll hop up, enjoy being petted for a second, hop down to play some more, then hop back in my lap again. He's a small part of why I haven't posted an update in so long--I'm having trouble getting him to be still long enough for a picture! (The bigger part of why it's been so long between updates, is of course, the eternal laziness of yours truly).

Sassafras is going through "that phase" where he doesn't want to be picked up or sit in my lap, but he does enjoy being petted. He likes to cuddle up next to my ankle and get his head scratched. Since recovering from the respiratory infection, he has found his inner purrball, and now purrs almost as much as his brother.

The bout with the respiratory infection delayed the second set of shots for a week, so they will be getting those tomorrow instead of last Thursday. If it works like last time, then they will go for their neuter surgeries around December 6th then come back here for a few days before going back for good to be made available for adoption.

Freedom!

Sassafras has been released from the "hospital" so to speak. Last night he ate a little dry food on his own while I was watching, and sometime during the night he finally pooped. Those were the two things I wanted to see before letting him out of the cage. So, he gained his freedom first thing this morning and re-joined his brother who immediately gave him a big hug...er...well, actually it was more like a big tackle.

Both of the kittens seem to be finally getting over the respiratory infection. The sneezing is dramatically better today than it has been, and Sassafras has even started purring for the first time since I originally brought them home! They'll still need to take the antibiotic for several more days to make sure the infection doesn't come back.

Sassafras still isn't eating with the amount of "gusto" that is normal for young kittens. He's not showing any interest in eating the canned food on his own (maybe he's a little spoiled by the extra attention he gets taking his food by syringe at this point?). I'm hoping he'll start following Simon's lead a little on this. In the meantime, I'll keep a close eye on his weight, and continue to syringe feed him as necessary.

Simon was obviously happy to get his brother back. He tackled him several times in a row trying to initiate play, but Sassafras still isn't interested in that much activity at this point. (Also, I think his personality may be a little more laid back to begin with). However, by this afternoon, Simon had settled down a little, and both kittens enjoyed napping by the cage that I'm still leaving set up for now in their room in case I end up needing it again.

Quick Update

No photos tonight, just a quick update. Sassafras is doing a little better today. His nose is still stopped up and he still refuses to eat voluntarily, but his breathing seems a little better and he seems to have more energy. More importantly, he's stopped losing weight and has actually gained back a few fractions of an ounce since yesterday afternoon. Using the syringe, I was able to feed him a full dose of the Nutrical paste the shelter gave me for him, plus he took some Gerber chicken food and even some canned food. It's all through the syringe, though. He's still not showing any serious interest in eating food on his own, although he did at least sniff at the dish of soft food before stepping past it to get to the water. I left some on a saucer for him in case by some chance he decides to give it a try later on tonight.

Simon, meanwhile, is going stir crazy for attention. He's got a much milder case of the infection (assuming his sneezing isn't just allergies), and it hasn't slowed him down one bit. He eats everything in sight, and is a bundle of non-stop energy. He's been a good control case on all the various foods I've tried to get Sassafras to eat. Simon has instantly scarfed down every one, so I feel better knowing it really HAS been good-tasting stuff I've tried to feed his brother.

For now, I'm continuing to keep Sassafras isolated in the cage when I'm not in the room. He's really not up to keeping up with Simon's energy right now, but mainly it's so I can know for sure once he starts eating on his own and pooping again. As soon as he does that, Simon will get his playmate back, and no one will be happier about that than me.

Meet Simon and Sassafras

My latest tiny houseguests are two orange tabby boys. They've been in my home since last Thursday. They are probably between 9 and 10 weeks of age.

At first glance, they look nearly identical, but it's easy to tell them apart by their personalities (well, that and the fact one of them is having a nasty bout with the respiratory infection that seems to be some kind of necessary rite of passage for young kittens. More on that later). Both of the kittens were a bit shy at first, but that wore off in all of about five minutes for Simon. He is very outgoing and affectionate. He's full of energy, and a constant purrball. Sassafras not so much, although it's hard to tell at this point how much of that is due to his personality and how much is due to his being ill. Oddly, he started warming up to me when I trimmed his toenails--after that, he immediately stopped running from me when I'd try to pick him up, and seems to enjoy being held and petted, although he hasn't purred one time that I've heard. So that's two firsts for me. I've never had a kitten start trusting me because I trimmed his toenails, and I've never had one that refuses to purr either.

But it isn't a refusal to purr that has me worried tonight. It's a refusal to eat, most likely due to the respiratory infection blocking his sense of smell. Both of the kittens were sneezing a little when I brought them home, and over the weekend, it became obvious that it wasn't just allergies. The shelter gave me an antibiotic for them on Monday, and Simon is almost completely well now. Sassafras, however, did not respond to the antibiotic, and has stopped eating altogether since at least yesterday. He's lost seven ounces of weight, about 20% of the 34 ounces he weighed when I brought them home. Last night I separated them to confirm what I already suspected--Sassafras isn't touching his food beyond sniffing at it, although he is drinking plenty of water at least. I took him back to the shelter today for further treatment and advice. They gave me a stronger antibiotic for him, as well as a kind of nutrition paste. He seemed to respond well to it at the shelter (I get my first try at giving it to him tomorrow). I also syringe-fed him some Gerber chicken-flavored baby food tonight. The fact that sentence even needs to be said is an indication of how stubborn his refusal to eat really is--normally kittens go absolutely nuts over that stuff. Case in point: Simon tried everything he could to steal some when I was trying to feed it to Sassafras. I finally gave in and put some on a saucer for Simon and he lapped it down in about 30 seconds flat. So Sassafras must really not be feeling well to refuse even the baby food. Hopefully, the new antibiotic will knock out the infection so he can start breathing freely and smelling again. It would be a shame for him to miss out on enjoying a treat that seems to be like candy for kittens.

Homes Sweet Home

Snowball, Socks, and Leo have all been adopted. Socks was adopted by my sister and her family, who were visiting me at the time the kittens were due to go back to the shelter. This was a decision they had already made prior to finding about the tragedy that befell their other cat while they were away. It's unfortunate that Socks never got to meet Shadow. He would have made a terrific big brother for her. I'm told she's doing well, though, bonding with all three of the kids and enjoying being part of a family. I should be able to provide periodic updates and photos of her as she grows up.

As expected, Snowball was adopted right away. I had hoped that she and Leo might be adopted together, but unfortunately, it was not to be. Leo did find a home this week, though, so now all three are home and hopefully happy.

After taking a break for vacation and then taking a week to recover from vacation (caught a bug from someone), I decided I would go ahead and take one more litter this year before all the Christmas stuff starts. I picked up two orange tabbies from the shelter this afternoon. I will have their photos and intro entry up as soon as they're bold enough to let me take their picture.

Sad News

I have both recent and belated sad news to report tonight.

The belated news first--I've put this off far too long already. Last year in the middle of my relocation to Las Vegas, we found out little Chewie (formerly known as Dwayne on this site) had FIV, the feline equivalent of AIDS. My sister returned him to the shelter in the hope he might be placed in another home (to avoid spreading the disease to their other cat). Unfortunately, he was very sick by that time. The shelter took good care of him, but he never recovered enough to be adopted, and ultimately, the decision was made to end his suffering. Chewie was one of my first two fosters. I still remember those wide eyes, and the way he was absolutely fearless around children of all ages, despite his own tiny size. It seemed so unfair that he was born with a disease that prevented him from having the chance for a long healthy life.

Now, a little over a year later, my sister once again has to comfort my niece and nephews over the loss of a pet. Their Egyptian Mau, Shadow, escaped their home over the weekend while they were away on vacation. He was injured and passed away in a neighbor's yard before he was found. Shadow was an awesome cat. He was friendly with every single person or animal he met. He even managed to make peace with my grumpy cat, Pablo, while he was boarding at their house during my move last year. Their home won't be the same without him.

Visitors

Starting tomorrow, Snowball, Socks, and Leo will get their first taste of what it's like to live as part of a human family. My sister, her husband, and their three kids are coming to visit. While the kittens have had some exposure to other people through visits from neighbors, by far the majority of their human contact since they came here has been with me. They are still a little shy with other people at first, so this will definitely be good for them to get used to having others around.

The kittens have crossed several milestones in the far too many days since my last update. First, they finally broke the litterbox rule--one of them (I suspect Leo) decided to try out one of the towels for a poop instead of going in the box. He was really polite about it, though (or sneaky?)--he folded the towel over to cover up the mess so it was nice and dried on there by the time I found it. Gross, Leo!

They got their second set of shots on October 4. They were still too small to do their surgeries the same week, so they got to stay here a little longer than expected. Snowball and Leo have since gained to over three pounds. Leo has actually passed Snowball, and is now the largest of the three. Hard to imagine, given how rail thin he was when I first brought them home! Socks remains the smallest. She's still under three pounds as of her last weighing.

Around the first of the month, Snowball went through a phase where she didn't want to be held for more than a second or two. It seemed to be an attention span thing--she preferred to play. Now, however, she's back to being the cuddliest one of the bunch. Leo is also very sociable. He still "play bites" occasionally, but he's much more gentle about it now. Socks is now where Snowball was a couple of weeks ago. She prefers playing to cuddling, and has started running away when I try to pick her up. Hopefully, she'll grow out of that in a few days like Snowball did.

The kittens are scheduled to have their spay/neuter surgery on Monday. They will then return to my house for a few days of recovery before going back to the shelter for adoption, most likely on Friday. Rest up, kittens! You have a busy week ahead.

Playtime

The kittens sure are making up for lost time on rowdy play since my last entry! There are loud noises coming from their room at all hours of the day now as they wrestle and play with one another. But it's worth the occasional sleep disturbance to see them behaving like normal kittens. Zestfully playing together is what kittens are supposed to do. It teaches them that socializing with other felines is pleasurable and fun.

My prediction that all three kittens would break two pounds at their Thursday weighing proved to be false. Snowball came close, missing by a measly 1/10 of an ounce. Leo and Socks were both a few tenths of an ounce away. Surprisingly, though, Leo actually passed Socks. It's probably all that energy she expends playing!

Snowball, Socks, and Leo remain the easiest three kittens I've fostered to date. They've continued to exercise perfect litterbox habits, have been illness-free, and despite their feral background, have proven extremely easy to socialize. They even do a decent job of posing for the camera, making it easier for me to get the fodder I need for this blog. Given that they only have another week or so in my home (assuming their weight is sufficient for spay/neuter by then), it's looking likely they'll retain their title to the end. They've definitely been a good bunch to get me back into fostering again after taking so many months off.

Overdue Update

Snowball, Socks, and Leo are making wonderful progress. Too bad their foster mommy hasn't been doing the same on keeping this site up to date!

All three kittens are are noticeably bigger, both physically and in personality. Socks continues to be the most shy of the three, but she's also the most playful. Snowball remains the most sociable with people, followed closely by Leo who needs to work on his "play-nipping" habit, but is otherwise well on his way to becoming the typical male tabby lovebug. They all like to play with the Starchaser, as well as the wand toys, and of course, the infamous Samsung phone strap that seems to be a big hit with every kitten I've fostered. Oddly, up until now, they've seemed to prefer playing with toys to playing with each other. It's only been in the last couple of days that I've heard them chasing and wrestling around with each other. Normally, there would be a steady stream of little "thuds" coming from the kitten room as they butt up against the door in the middle of their wrestling matches.

The two tabbies continue to look a little thin for their age, but they've had a bit of a growth spurt since the weekend, and I'm thinking their weight will be significantly higher tomorrow than it was when I weighed them last Thursday. Last week, Socks and Leo weighed about the same as Phoenix, Vegas, and Sedona did at five weeks old. Snowball's weight was a little more normal for her age, but even she was a little on the light side. However, I'd be surprised if they don't all three break two pounds when I weigh them tomorrow.

Meet Snowball, Socks, and Leo

After a ten-month hiatus, I am three days into what is so far the easiest foster experience I have had to date (jinx alert on). Snowball, Socks, and Leo are three supposedly feral kittens somewhere between 8-12 weeks old. It is clear, however, that they have benefited greatly from some prior socialization, at the shelter or otherwise. They were a bit shy at first, but all three are warming up quickly.

They have also learned their litterbox habits well. Not one accident so far that I can tell, despite them being used to having free reign to go anywhere they pleased when they lived on the streets. So, it looks like I'll get to skip all the messy, poop-everywhere stages, and go straight to the fun part where they like to play, snuggle, and pose for cute pictures. I'm told they are definitely all three from the same litter, despite having one oddball Siamese/Snowshoe with two tabbies.

Snowball is by far the bravest and most social of the bunch. Perhaps her gorgeous appearance has gotten her some extra attention. She figured out early on that being petted is fun, and will now make these soft little mews to get my attention if it's anywhere other than on her. At this point, she seems like a pretty normal kitten, at least around me.

Leo is pretty much a classic brown tabby in appearance. Like Snowball, he's figured out that being petted is enjoyable, but it takes him a few minutes to get the confidence to come close enough to be reached. He seems to be making rapid progress, though, so hopefully he'll be marching right up to me like Snowball does before long.

Socks is adorably cute with her partially white face and feet, but she's the most timid of the three. As of this evening, she's stopped running to hide when I come in the room, but she still keeps a safe distance, watching with those sad little eyes while the other two are being petted and played with. Like most shy kittens, engaging her with a wand toy that puts some distance between her and my hand, seems to be the best way to get her to relax. Eventually, I switch to a smaller toy that puts my hand in reach, and before she knows it, she's being petted and loving it.

The most obvious sign of their feral background is their weight. Snowball seems to be pretty well fed, but Socks and Leo are very thin. They all seem to be eating well, though, so hopefully they will put on some weight soon.

On Hiatus

I am taking a break from fostering kittens for now to give my resident cat a much-needed break, and myself some time to get work done on my house. It is possible I will foster again in some capacity, perhaps later this spring, if I can find a way to do it that doesn't stress Pablo out so much. In the meantime, visit me on my recently-revived other blog, Shutter Journeys.

Home Stretch

They say time flies when you're having fun. Believe it or not, Vegas, Phoenix, and Sedona are already just about ready for adoption. They will be at my house one more week, then they will be scheduled for their spay and neuters sometime late next week. In the meantime, they are enjoying some new-found freedom as I have begun to give them free roam of the house for a few hours each day.

With the antibiotic--as well as the vaccinations--over, Sedona remains shy, but she has regained most of her pre-respiratory infection progress. She still shies away from my hand at first, but once I start petting her, she's actually the quickest one of the bunch to purr. She's become a lot more playful the past week, and came very close to being the first of the three to make it over the gate in front of the door to their room. To date, none of them have gone over, but she was the first to attempt it, and nearly made it.

Vegas has emerged as the most social one as well as the most active. He still likes to play, but more and more, he is starting to really enjoy being petted and held. He even shows a bit of a jealous streak. If I'm petting one of the other two, he'll start making little "ack" sounds to remind me he's there.

Phoenix is still the bravest of the three, but as he's become more active, he doesn't seem to enjoy being held as much as he once did. I think it's more of an attention span thing. He doesn't want to sit still very long these days.

As their time in my home nears an end, I find myself wondering if these three kittens might be my favorite fosters to date. Probably not--way too much competition for me to pick favorites. However, watching Vegas, Phoenix, and Sedona come out of their shells has been very rewarding. They're not all the way there yet. Strangers still scare them, although they get better each time they meet one. Even Mommy still scares them when she accidentally moves too fast, or has to pick them up when they'd rather not have it. Chances are they won't be 100% over their fears by the time they go back to the shelter. But they are light years ahead of where they were three weeks ago.